Button-polishing machine.



No. 708,768. Patented Sept. 9, I902. J. HURMBY.

suimu POLISHING mcmue.

(Application flled Apr. 4, 1902.)

5 sheets-shut I.

(No Model.)

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J. HORMBY. BUTTON POLISHING MACHINE. (Applidation filed Apr. 4, 1902.(NoJlodeL) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2,

WITNESSES IN VEN TOR By wWQQMZ f 2 ATTORNEY N0. 708,768. Patented Sept.9, I902.

7 J. HORMBY.

BUTTON POLISHING MACHINE.

. (Appliation filed Apr. 4, 1902.) (No Model.) s Sheets-Sheet 3.

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- V WITNESSES //v VEN r09 I ificwlw W- W M. A TTOHNEY- I u. c. THENORRIS PETtRs 00., EHOTOLITHQ. WASHINOTON No. 708,768. Patentd Sept; 9,I902.

J. HORMBY. BUTTON POLISHING MACHINE.

(Application filed Apr. 4. 1902.)

5 Sheets-SheetA.

(No ModeL) fic 6.

WITNESSES:

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"Patented Sept. 9, I902. J. HIIRMBY. A BUTTON PHLISHENG MACHINE.

(Appiicaition ma Apr. 4. 1902.)

5 Sheets8heet '5.

(N0 Model.)

NVENTOI? 264a ATTORNEY lull-5.5

ThzNORRlS mans cu. Pumo-u'ma, WASHINGTON. 04 a UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

JOHN HORMBY, OF WOONSOOKET, RHODE ISLAND.

BUTTON-POLISHING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 708,768, datedSeptember 9, 1902.

Application'filed April 4, 1902. Serial No. 101,439. (No model.)

1 of the United States, residing at Woonsocket,

in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Buffers and Polishers forButton-Making Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for buffing and polishing buttons,and has for its object to provide an improved machine of this classwhich shall finish the back and face of a button in one seating andwhich shall comprise a button-carrier to which the buttons are fedsingly, carried around to position between two buffers orbuffing-wheels, further carried around to position between twopolishing-wheels, and finally discharged from the carrier, the buttonsbeing caused torotate by both the buffing and polishing wheels and thepolishing-wheels being supplied with suitable polishing material whilein operation.

With this object in view the invention consists in the improvedconstruction, arrangement, and combination of the parts of such 'amachine, which will be hereinafter fully described, and afterwardparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which I have illustrated a machineembodying my improvements, Figure 1 represents a View of the machine infront elevation, parts being broken away. Fig. 2 represents a top planview. Fig. 3 represents the machine, partly in side elevation and partlyin section. Figs. 4 and 5 are fragmentary detail views illustrating,respectively, the relative positions of the carrier, button, and onebuffer and of the two buffers, the carrier, and button in workingposition. Fig. 6 is a view in elevation looking at the right-hand sideof Fig. 2. Figs. 7 and 8 are respectively a-partial top plan and apartial elevation of the carrier and bufier in a modified arrangement.

The machine is mounted in a suitable frame, of which 1, 2, and 3 arestandards which support a guide or guard plate 4, which is the innerguide of the button-carrier 5 and is provided with a slot 6, throughwhich to feed buttons to the carrier, and an opening (shown in dottedlines in Fig. 1) through which to dissubstantially semicircular notches9.

carrier is of less diameter than the guide 4,

tally adjustable in the guides.

charge the polished buttons. serves as a bearing for the shaft 8 of thebutton-carrier 5. This is adisk provided around its periphery withbutton-seats, consisting {If T e and a ring 10, formed with or securedto the inner side of the guard, serves to keep the buttons in place intheir seats as they are carried around by the vertical carrier. Mountedloosely on the shaft 8 of the carrier is the outer guide-plate 11,which, secured to the inner guide 4, forms the complete casing of thecarrier. In each of the guides 4 and 11 at each side are registeringslots 12 15, formed in the guides themselves or in plates 14, securedthereto, arranged to expose the outer half of each button on each faceto the polishers and bufiers, such slots being adjustable inwidth'bymeans of plates 15, horizon- The carrier is rotated at a moderate rateor preferably adjusted intermittingly, so as to leave a button incontact with the bufiers a greater or less time, as required by thecolor or shape of the button, by means of a gear 16 on its shaft meshingwith a pinion 17 on a counter-shaft 18, on which is a worm-wheel19,driven bya worm 20 on a shaft 21, driven by belting from a main shaft orany suitable source of power. (Not shown.)

The polishers (or polishing-wheels) 22 and 23 are mounted, respectively,on horizontal shafts 24: and 25 on opposite sides of the carrier and atpoints in line with the slot 12, and the buffers (or bufiing-wheels)26and 27 are similarly mounted on the same shafts at points in line withslot 13 and are adjustable both ways, said shafts being driven inopposite directions by belting and pulleys 28 and 29 from any suitabledriving-shaft. (Not shown.)

In order to obtain greater friction to polish a very hard shape, it issometimes desirable or necessary to run the buflers in the samedirection, one spindle being rotated faster than the opposite one, thebufiers being set a little out of aliuement with each other, so that thebutton will rotate very slowly, thus getting more friction and more outto the button.

The shafts 24 and 25 have cone-bearings in The guide ICO pins 30,adjustable in bearingblocks 31, mounted to slide in side frames 32, thepins being splined in the blocks and securable in any adjustment byset-screws 33 and the blocks being adapted to slide on screws 34,secured in blocks 35, nuts 36 being provided on opposite sides of blocks31 to secure them in any adjustment.

At 37 38 are standards on one of the side frames 32, which, with thestandard 39 on the same frame, form bearings for a shaft 40, driven fromany suitable driving-shaft, a cam 41 being secured on the shaft40'between the standards 37 and 38 in line with the buttoncarrier. Inthe upper ends of the standards 37 and 38 are journaled rocking shaftsor pins 42 43, which at their outer ends carry arms 44 45, provided withfriction-. rollers adapted to come into contact with cam 41, and attheir ends in the vertical plane of the polishers carry sticks 46, ofrouge or of graphite or other polishing material.

In the modification illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 the pairs ofpolishing-wheels 22 and 20 and 23 and 27, respectively, are broughtcloser together on their shafts and are arranged to bear on oppositesides of the portions of buttons exposed beyond the periphery of thecarrier, the exposing-openings of the carrier being located at the topinstead of the sides thereof.

In the operation of the machine the buttons are fed into the carrierthrough the slot 6 by any suitable feeding mechanism until a suificientnumber of seats have been filled to bring the first button to theexposing-slot 12, where its outer half is acted upon by the pol ishers,which are adjusted close together, so as to exert some pressure upon thebutton or squeeze it. These polishers rotating in opposite directions,their contacting surfaces both move downward and acting upon the outerhalf only of the button they cause it to be rapidly rotated in its seat,so that by the time the slowly-moving or intermitting carrier has movedthe button out of contact with the polishers every particle of bothsurfaces has been thoroughly polished. The continued rotation of thecarrier brings the polished button opposite the slot 13 and between thebuffers, where a wiping or cleaning operation is performed, with thetotal result that the polishers, being always keptsupplied with freshp01- ishing material, will have made both surfaces clean and smooth, andthe buffers, being simply provided with soft buffing or wipingperipheries, have completed the operation and the button is ready foruse. Both bufiers and polishers acting with equal force against oppositefaces of the buttonsno strain is brought upon the carrier, thus greatlyfacilitating the easy operation of the machine. The parts are alladjustable in every requisite direction, and the mechanism operated bythe cam 41 keeps the polishers always supplied with material necessaryto their continued proper operation.

The plates 15 for adjusting the width of the exposing-slots 12 and 13also serve to guard the button-carrier against contact with the abrasivewheels, and thus take all wear, and this wear may be compensated for bymoving these plates, which may be easily and cheaply renewed when worndown. When sticks of polishing material are used, the friction of thepolishers will heat them sufficiently to cause a proper deposit of theirmaterial therein.

In the modifications shown in Figs. 7and 8 the button-exposing slots areshown at the top of the casing, with the polishers opposite each otherand adjacent to the buffers, the parts being indicated by the samereference characters used in the other figures with the exponent aadded. The construction and operation of such modification will bereadily understood.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new is 1. In abutton-polishing machine, the combination with a circular rotatingbutton-carrier constructed to expose substantially half of a buttonbeyond its periphery, of a wheel mounted on a shaft at a right angle tothat of the carrier, provided with a peripheral polishing-surface andarranged to bear upon the exposed portion of a button in the carrier.

2. In a button-polishing machine, the combination with a rotatingbutton-carrier, and guides on opposite sides thereof provided withexposing-slots, of polishing-wheels mounted on shafts at right angles tothat of the carrier and arranged to meet in said exposing-slots.

3. In a button-polishing machine, the com bination with a rotatablebutton-carrier provided in its periphery with substantially semicircularbutton-seats, of polishing-wheels rotating in planes at right angles tothe plane of the carrier and bearing upon opposite sides of buttons onportions thereof which project beyond the seatin the carrier.

4. In a button-polishing machine, the combination with a button-carrier,provided with peripheral seats arranged to expose one-half of thebuttons beyond its periphery, and polishing-wheels rotating in oppositedirections and bearing simultaneously upon the opposite faces of theexposed portions of the buttons.

5. In a button-polishing machine, the combination with a button-carrierprovided with peripheral seats arranged to project one-half of a buttonbeyond its periphery, guides for the carrier slotted to expose theprojected portion of a button, polishingwheels acting through said slotson opposite faces of the exposed portion of the button, and plates foradjusting the width of the exposing-slots and protecting the carrieragainst wear by the polishing-wheels.

6. In a button-polishing machine, the combination with a rotatingbutton-carrier, polishers acting simultaneously upon opposite sides ofbuttons carried thereby, a rock-pin in line with the carrier,lubricator-deliverers carried by said pin above and in line with the Isides of said cam, and lubricator-carriers propolishers, and means forrocking the pin to cause the lubricator-carriers to contact alternatelywith the opposite polishers.

5 7. In abutton-polishing machine, the combination with a verticalbutton-carrier, p01- ishers in line with each other on opposite sidesthereof, a shaft, a cam thereon, a rocking pin journaled above and inline with the carrier,

no arms on said pin contacting with opposite jecting in oppositedirections from said pin in line with and above the two polishers.

Witness my hand'this 17th day of'March, 1902, in'the presence oftwosubscribing wit- I 5 nesses.

JOHN HORMBY.

Witnesses: EDWIN J. PERRIN,-Jr.,

RALPH F. BUNKER.

